City of London School for Girls 16+ Entry for 2027: Around 20 New Students

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5. City of London School for Girls 16+ Entry

City of London School for Girls (CLSG), on the Barbican, says on its Sixth Form structure page: "We welcome approximately twenty new students to the sixth form." For entry in September 2027, CLSG's 16+ admissions page sets a single school-specific assessment on Wednesday 14 October 2026: a multiple-choice critical thinking test, then "one or two other written papers depending on their proposed A Level choices", followed by 10-minute interviews for the candidates the school invites back. This is a separate route from CLSG's 11+ entry, with its own assessment, dates and bursary allocation. This guide sets out the 2026-27 dates, assessment format, offer conditions and bursary details for families considering CLSG at Sixth Form rather than Year 7.

How Many New Students Does CLSG Welcome at 16+ Entry?

CLSG's own Sixth Form structure page says: "We welcome approximately twenty new students to the sixth form." The same page says that students at City "typically select four A levels subjects to study at the start, although they also have the opportunity to drop down to three during year 12". The school's admissions FAQs say it makes offers to pupils who "display a high level of academic ability in the entrance exam", "have a strong academic record from their current school", "show a passion for learning, originality and potential to think independently in their interview" and "demonstrate that they would enjoy making the most of the wide-ranging co-curricular opportunities offered to them at City".

Dates are from CLSG's 16+ admissions timeline for September 2027 entry and its 16+ admissions page; the bursary figure is from its bursaries page.

What Does the CLSG 16+ Assessment Involve?

CLSG's 16+ admissions page says that "all candidates will sit an assessment at CLSG" on Wednesday 14 October 2026. It "will begin with a multiple-choice test assessing critical thinking skills for all students", of which the school says: "No preparation is required. We are simply interested in seeing how students respond to a range of stimuli and will test their ability to infer, deduce and reason logically." Candidates "will then sit one or two other written papers depending on their proposed A Level choices."

For an essay-based subject (English, Classical civilisation, Classical or modern languages, drama and theatre studies, economics, geography, history, music, politics or RPE), the 16+ admissions page says candidates "will write an essay from a choice of titles", an argument-based question that "will require candidates to look at the question from more than one angle" and "will not require any particular knowledge, but they might want to use examples from their GCSE courses as evidence". For maths, further maths, computer science, DT or any of the sciences, "they will do a 40-minute maths paper." The 16+ admissions page gives the essay paper as "40 minutes long, but will have some planning time"; CLSG's admissions policy says candidates "may sit a maths paper and/or essay paper depending on their A level choices" and that "Each paper lasts 45 minutes".

After the written assessment, the 16+ admissions page says the school will "invite back for interview candidates who we feel have the potential to thrive at the school". Candidates "will have 10-minute interviews in the subjects that they are proposing to study", which "will give students the opportunity to meet teaching staff and for teachers to understand candidates’ interest in their subjects." Interviews take place on Tuesday 24 November 2026.

On access arrangements, the school's admissions FAQs say: "If a candidate has any form of special educational need, they can be considered for extra time or other access arrangements." The FAQs add that "we strictly adhere to the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) guidelines when awarding candidates with access arrangements", so "even if a pupil has an educational psychologist’s report, it does not automatically qualify them for extra time."

What Are the Key 2026-27 Admission Dates?

These dates for September 2027 entry come from CLSG's 16+ admissions timeline and its 16+ admissions page:

• Tuesday 15 September 2026: CLSG's 16+ open event.
• Friday 2 October 2026: Closing date for registration for September 2027 entry; CLSG's 16+ admissions page states that registration has closed.
• Wednesday 14 October 2026: All candidates sit the written assessment at CLSG: the critical thinking test, then one or two further written papers.
• Tuesday 24 November 2026: Interviews for the candidates the school invites back, 10 minutes in each subject they propose to study.
• Tuesday 1 December 2026: CLSG sends offers of places by email. The offers are conditional, and offers of bursary-assisted places are sent out at the same time as other offers.
• Wednesday 9 December 2026: Deadline for accepting a place, accompanied by a non-refundable acceptance deposit; the school says no acceptance deposit is required for students offered bursary assistance.

What GCSE Grades Do You Need for CLSG Sixth Form Entry?

CLSG's 16+ admissions page says its offers "will be conditional on applicants achieving at least eight GCSEs or IGCSEs graded at 7 or above, and at least an 8 in the subjects they have chosen to study at A level." The same page says: "Each student who would like to take our 16+ entrance assessment must meet our entrance criteria and be registered with us."

The school's admissions FAQs say: "We will request a reference from the headteacher of the student’s current school to help in our assessment process." For overseas applicants they say: "For year 12 entry, we can arrange for applicants to sit their assessment overseas at a local British Council office", that "up to six weeks’ notice may be required by the British Council to arrange an exam", and that "Interviews may be conducted remotely".

Is There a Bursary for CLSG 16+ Entry?

Yes. CLSG's bursaries page says: "We usually have 12 to 15 bursary places to allocate at 11+, and 3 to 4 at 16+." Of its bursary support in general, the page describes "financial assistance of up to 100% of our school fees", says "These awards are all means-tested" and sets out a net household income guideline. It also says: "Bursaries are awarded if an applicant is successful in the entrance exams and interview, the family is eligible for a bursary and there are sufficient funds available in the bursary fund", that "many more families will meet our eligibility criteria than be awarded bursaries", and that "Overseas applicants are not eligible for a bursary."

The bursaries page says a pupil in receipt of a full bursary "will also receive support with" school lunches, a school-issued laptop, curriculum-based compulsory school trips, travel to school on public transport "for families in Zones 2 and up", further funding for co-curricular activities (music lessons, trips, Duke of Edinburgh, etc.) and public exams, with "No acceptance deposit payable". On timing, it says: "Bursary offers are made at the same time as places." and "For 16+ entry, offers will be sent on Tuesday 1 December 2026." The 16+ admissions page also says that offers of bursary-assisted places "will be sent out at the same time as other offers".

The bursaries page also sets out the steps. Families indicate their interest in a bursary when they register, and "You will be sent an online bursary application form once registration has closed." The school says: "if you do not complete this application at this point, we will not be able to consider your daughter for a bursary at a later date." If the candidate is invited back and the family is deemed eligible, "you will be asked to upload all the necessary supporting documents". "Before offers are made, we will visit some families under consideration for a bursary in their home to discuss elements of our bursary package." The offer email "will indicate whether your bursary application has been successful and will include details of any financial assistance", and the page notes: "There will be cases where the school’s bursary fund does not have sufficient funding to offer any financial assistance." CLSG's 16+ admissions timeline lists Thursday 15 October 2026 as the first stage bursary application deadline and Monday 16 November 2026 as the second stage bursary deadline.

What Scholarships Does CLSG Offer at 16+?

CLSG's scholarships page says: "At 16+, scholarships are offered in music, drama, art and sport." The school says it has around six scholarships available for sixth form students, and its 16+ admissions timeline lists Monday 2 November 2026 as the scholarship application deadline. Art scholars "must choose to study art at A level" and "will submit an art portfolio as part of the admissions process"; drama scholars "must choose to study drama and theatre studies at A level" and "will submit a video of a short monologue"; music scholars "must be at least Grade 8 standard"; and sports scholars "should be able to demonstrate that they are currently competing in their sport(s) at a high level, ideally at club or representative level".

How Does CLSG 16+ Compare with CLSG 11+ Entry?

These are two separate admissions routes into the same school, each with its own assessment, dates and offer terms, set out on CLSG's own 11+ admissions and 16+ admissions pages. Our 11+ entry guide covers the Year 7 route.

Figures and dates in the table are from CLSG's 11+ admissions page, 16+ admissions page, bursaries page and admissions policy. At 11+ the school says its offers "will be unconditional"; at 16+ they are conditional on GCSE grades, as set out above. Our CLSG 11+ assessment guide covers that process.

How Should Families Prepare for the CLSG 16+ Assessment?

CLSG's own guidance is explicit. Of the critical thinking test, its 16+ admissions page says: "No preparation is required." Its admissions FAQs say of 16+ candidates: "Prospective students should not undertake tutoring for our assessments. Our exams are based on the GCSE syllabuses which students will have probably covered in year 10." The FAQs add that "schools will teach topics in a different order, so understand that some of the content might not have been covered yet."

For students also thinking ahead to UCAS, CLSG's Sixth Form structure page says the school's UCAS programme "launches in the January of year 12". Our university personal statement support and A-Level tuition are available to families who want support alongside it.

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